Harlem Lawmaker Al Taylor Plots Council Run Against Richardson Jordan

HARLEM, NY — Harlem Assembly Member Al Taylor may run for City Council next year against incumbent Kristin Richardson Jordan, according to a new campaign filing, setting up a faceoff between an outspoken socialist and a member of the Democratic Party's more establishment wing.

Taylor's new campaign account for the District 9 race was spotted online Wednesday, weeks after Taylor first told City & State magazine that he was "kicking the wheels and checking the tires" on a possible run. He could not immediately be reached for comment.

Taylor would be the third candidate to join the 2023 race, following Richardson Jordan and Joshua Clennon, who finished eighth in last year's Council primary. Inez Dickens, Taylor's colleague in the Assembly, also told Patch last month that she was considering a run.

Taylor, 65, has served in the State Assembly since 2017, representing Hamilton Heights, Sugar Hill, and parts of Washington Heights and Inwood. His territory overlaps only lightly with Jordan's Council district, which mostly covers Central Harlem.

Since Council races are held in odd-numbered years, Taylor could run for Council without giving up his Assembly seat — a move met with skepticism from Richardson Jordan when Patch reached her for comment on Thursday.

"I truly wonder why we as a public even allow this," the Council member said in a text message. "For those who are already charged with a position to split their focus by running for other seats."

Since her upset victory over incumbent Bill Perkins in last year's Democratic primary, Richardson Jordan has touted her record during her first year in office.

Most notably, she helped kill the huge One45 rezoning, which promised hundreds of housing units but which Richarson Jordan said would contribute to Harlem's gentrification. She has also signed onto dozens of bills, from the proposal to ban solitary confinement in city jails to legislation that would combat discrimination against rent-regulated tenants; and organizes a packed slate of community events.

But some in the neighborhood, especially from the Democratic Party's more mainstream faction, have expressed dissatisfaction with her time in the Council, focusing largely on her stated vision of one day abolishing the city's police department.

Taylor has alleged that Richardson Jordan has not done enough to secure resources for her Central Harlem district, telling City & State that she had too few political connections.

A church pastor, Taylor also served for years as chief of staff to his predecessor in the Assembly, Denny Farrell, before being chosen by party insiders to succeed Farrell after his retirement.

Normally held every four years, Council elections are happening in 2023 just two years after the previous round, due to a city charter rule that mandates shorter terms after Council districts are redrawn.

Related coverage:

• Inez Dickens Mulls Challenge To Harlem Councilmember Richardson Jordan
• Harlem's New Rep Tells Eric Adams: Don't Ignore The Socialists
• Perkins Concedes Harlem Council Race To Jordan, Cementing Upset

Have a Harlem news tip? Contact reporter Nick Garber at nick.garber@patch.com.